Spain deploys 8 F-18 fighter jets to Romania to support NATO’s Air Policing mission

Europe, News August 12, 2024 , by IRIA No Comments

Spanish Air Force has deployed its eight F-18 Hornet fighter jets and 150 military personnel to Romania to support NATO’s enhanced Air Policing mission. The detachment arrived at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania last week and would remain there for four months.

Spanish Air Force’s F-18 fighter jets detachment replaced the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons detachment, who returned to the UK after concluding their four-month rotation in the country.

During the deployment, the detachment of military personnel from the Spanish Air and Space Forces will conduct air policing missions, patrolling, and training alongside the Romanian Air Force.

The certification ceremony was attended by Romania’s Minister of Defence Angel Tîlvăr on August 6, who highlighted the necessity for continuous adaptation to the evolving regional security environment, according to the NATO Allied Air Command (AIRCOM) statement.

The ceremony was also attended by the Chief of the Defence Staff General Gheorghiță Vlad, Spanish Ambassador to Romania José Antonio Pérez-Solórzano, Commander of CAOC Torréjon Lieutenant General Juan Pablo Sánchez de Lara, and Chief of Staff of the Romanian Air Force Major General Leonard Baraboi.

Eight 🇪🇸 Air Force F-18 Hornets arrived at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania recently to begin their 4-month NATO enhanced Air Policing mission, replacing the 🇬🇧 Royal Air Force detachment #SecuringTheSkies

Learn more: https://t.co/ermWZy821K pic.twitter.com/ldoMbV8EUH
— NATO Air Command (@NATO_AIRCOM) August 8, 2024

The Romanian defense minister said in a statement, “We must remain agile in the face of changes in the security landscape confronting the Alliance, and we must send a strong, unequivocal message to the public.”

He emphasized that “We are united under the umbrella of the largest defense alliance, working together to protect the airspace of NATO’s southeastern flank – a region with a complex security architecture, particularly following the outbreak of war in Ukraine in February 2022.”

NATO’s Enhanced Air Policing is part of the Alliance’s assurance measures introduced in 2014, after Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. According to the NATO AIRCOM statement, “The Alliance implemented these assurance measures to demonstrate the collective resolve of Allies, to demonstrate the defensive nature of NATO, and to deter Russia from aggression or the threat of aggression.”

NATO’s air policing missions are focused on monitoring airspace violations, suspicious air activity near the borders of the NATO member states, as well as other unsafe air traffic. In case of violations, NATO fighter jets are tasked with responding urgently to any threat.

*^{Spanish Air Force F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet. (Image Credit: Sławek Hesja Krajniewski/NATO Air Command)}*

NATO Air Policing is a permanent peacetime mission of the Alliance. It is conducted within the NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) framework and under the responsibility of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). The air policing missions demonstrate unity among Allies and ensure the integrity of the airspace of member states.